Various cart apparatus and inventory management systems have heretofore been devised.
For example U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,496 discloses a material handling cart which provides for the transportation and storage of material handling totes in manageable quantities. The material handling cart includes a pair of spaced parallel, vertical members interconnected by a plurality of equidistantly spaced horizontal support rails. A forwardly and downwardly projecting support leg is connected to each of the vertical members and terminates in a vertical portion remote from the connection to the vertical members. A first pair of fixed casters are mounted to the bottom of each of the vertical members and a second pair of rotatable casters are mounted in the ends of each of the vertical portions of the support legs. The material handling cart has curved handle portions and hand grips in order to manoeuvre the material handling cart. The parallel horizontal support rails are structured in order to accommodate material handling totes of the type disclosed in U.S. patent application No. 212,946.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,725 discloses a trolley adapted to hold or to exhibit things or articles of different kinds. The trolley has a plurality of vertically stacked tray-like horizontal containers which are connected to one another by three uprights. The upper and lower containers are fixed to the uprights and the intermediate containers are revolvable on bearings. The trolley has casters attached to each of the three uprights beneath the base container to permit the trolley to be rolled about on a horizontal surface. The trolley also allows for the attachment of accessories to customize the trolley to assist the operator in their task.
Another device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,488 which discloses a method for the inventory of a large number of items having the following steps:
(a) bar code labels are attached to each item to uniquely identify such item; PA1 (b) portable hand held bar code readers read the bar code labels on each item and an operator inputs their absolute geographic location in terms of latitude, longitude and elevation (within one foot of accuracy) in association with the specific bar code; PA1 (c) the information obtained by the portable hand held bar code reader is transferred to a digital computer system and that information is use to update the inventory records, each bar code designation being associated with its geographic location.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,636,950 discloses an inventory management system using transponders associated with specific products. This inventory management system requires the securement to an inventory unit of a micro-electronic transponder having on it an identifiable and coded identification which can communicate with computer controllers and automated data processors. The computer controllers transmit signals which activate the micro-electronic transponder associated with the inventory unit allowing the operator to locate the inventory unit and to engage in inventory analysis.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,766 discloses an inventory recordation and processing system. This system incorporates a platform for attachment to the operator in order to support instrumentation having an alpha-numeric keyboard, calculator and display which is connected to a data-recorder for processing inventory data in a rapid, efficient and accurate manner without the use of written documentation. The data is inputted into the data-recorder on site. Thereafter the data-recorder is connected to a decoder and the information is used to update the inventory records.
Each of said prior art devices referred to above present relatively complicated devices having limited utility.
Moreover, the prior art devices utilized heretofore relate to structures which provide picking of units one order at a time. Such prior art devices do not provide for mobile multiple pickings.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved cart and inventory control procedure.
Finally, it is an aspect of this invention to provide a method for multiple order picking and inventory control of units at a pick location in a warehouse, including the steps of: affixing to each unit a code representing that pickable unit and its pick location in the warehouse; inputting said codes into a computer; inputting multiple customer orders into the computer; assigning each of said multiple customer orders to a container on an assigned cart transmitting sequentially from said computer to said cart pick locations for each of said multiple customer orders to a radio frequency terminal an assigned cart by means of radio frequency broadcast; moving a cart carrying radio frequency terminal to pick location displayed on the radio frequency terminal; verifying proper pick location; displaying the quantity of units to be placed in a container carried by the cart; picking displayed quantity of units for placement into appropriate container; manually communicating with the radio frequency terminal to indicate the pick at the location is completed and transmitting the communication to the computer; receiving the next instructions from the computer concerning the next designated pick location; repeating moving, verifying, picking and communicating steps sequentially until assigned multiple customer orders have been picked.